


Insatiable Gratitude

by mayghaen17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Harry, Divorced James, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Guy next door, Hermione is a vet tech, Jamione - Freeform, Lemons, Neighbors, Puppies, Sirius Black as Padfoot, Smut, Vet Tech, Vet Tech Appreciation, Veterinary Medicine, Wholesome, dilf, smutshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:13:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27024097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayghaen17/pseuds/mayghaen17
Summary: Ever since James moved into the apartment across the hall two years ago, Hermione's been a helpful neighbor. From watching his son Harry on occasion to helping with veterinary care for his new puppy; she's always there. And after a trip to the emergency vet in the middle of the night, he shows her his insatiable gratitude.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/James Potter
Comments: 14
Kudos: 244





	Insatiable Gratitude

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you that don't know, I used to be a vet tech. In honor of it being vet tech appreciation week, I wrote a fun little oneshot!
> 
> Always remember that veterinary medicine is real medicine and that the techs and doctors work just as hard and care just as much as those in human medicine!

****

**Insatiable Gratitude**

"Something you want to tell us?"

Hermione looked up to see the receptionist for the day, Lavender, coming through the door with _that_ look on her face. The one that was reserved for gossip and conversations about sex. She looked around for a second before realizing that Lavender was talking to her. "No?"

"So the insanely attractive man with the ridiculously cute puppy asking for you, by name, to be the nurse is just...what; coincidence?"

Hermione was immediately betrayed by the way her cheeks began to heat up. Lavender crossed her arms and leaned against the counter next to the workstation Hermione was currently sitting at. "I told you my neighbor got a puppy a week or so ago," she said, trying to play it off with a roll of her eyes despite knowing it was too late.

She snorted as she continued to pin Hermione down with a stare. "Yes, we've all heard you mention your neighbor a time or two, but," she started, exaggerating the syllables of the last word. "You neglected to mention how hot he is."

"Laven-"

"And _don't_ even begin to try and tell me that you don't think he's attractive."

Hermione's lips snapped shut as she had every intention of doing just that.

"Who's attractive?"

Both girls turned to see Doctor Scamander turn around the corner. He adjusted the pens in the pocket of his scrub top and gave them both his signature smile. He then looked between the two of them as they spoke at the same time.

"No one."

"Hermione's neighbor."

"Is that the same one you told Luna about?" he asked.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at both Doctor Scamander and Lavender. "It might be," she muttered.

"And what does this have to do with our patient?"

Lavender's smirk widened as she pushed herself off the counter and placed a hand on the doorknob to return to her desk out front. "Patient's owner _is_ the hot neighbor."

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave a sigh of defeat as she turned back to the computer. "Well, come on," Doctor Scamander said, tipping his head to the side. "We don't want to keep the hot neighbor waiting, do we?"

Hermione groaned as she pushed herself off the stool and exited out of screen on her computer so they could pull up the file in the room. It was what she loved and hated about being so close to all of her coworkers. The fact that they all knew far too much about each other's personal lives and left no subject off limits was bound to get her eventually. Usually she was the one doing the teasing, but the tables had turned.

But, in all honesty, he really was hot.

From the day James had moved in across the hall, Hermione had found herself harboring a crush. He was a decade older than her, but still in his thirties. He was recently divorced and out of sorts at first, but she had been there to help him adjust. They had become relatively good friends in the past two years. Enough for him to trust her with his son, Harry on occasion. It was why they were here today. Harry would be ten in a few weeks and after months of asking, James had finally caved and agreed to get a puppy for Harry's birthday.

After prepping the room for the appointment, Hermione loaded the file on the computer and then stepped out of the door leading into the lobby. Before she could even call them in, Harry spotted her. His face lit up and he scrambled to his feet. A grin spread across his face as he shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose and ran towards her. "Mione!" he shouted as he barreled into her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was the only one allowed to call her that horrible nickname.

"Is that your new puppy?" she asked when he let go of her. He had made James promise not to let Hermione see their dog until he was there to introduce them. Same as for the first trip to the vet; it had to be on a day where James had custody.

"He loves to play!" Harry exclaimed as he ran back to where James was sitting with the ten week old black German Shepherd puppy in his lap.

"You can show her how he plays later, Harry," James said, rising to his feet with a tight grip on the pup. "It's probably best not to rile him up before Hermione has to give him a shot."

"Tonight?" he asked, looking between his dad and Hermione.

"I'm working pretty late tonight, but I'm off tomorrow," she replied, reaching out to ruffle his already unruly hair. "So long as you and your dad don't already have plans."

"Tomorrow's perfect," James said as he ducked into the room where Doctor Scamander was waiting.

"Congratulations on your new puppy," Newt said as he knelt on the ground to greet his patient. "What's his name?"

"Padfoot!" Harry blurted a little louder than any of the adults were prepared for.

James let out a small sigh as Hermione arched a brow and glanced at the computer screen that had the file up. "I named him Sirius, but he responds better to that nickname for whatever reason."

"That happens more than you'd think," Hermione said, turning to offer a small smile.

With that, she got down on the floor next to the doctor and the two of them went about their nose to tail exam. All the while, they answered each and every one of Harry's questions and even asked a few of their own. When they were done, Newt excused himself to start working on the notes while Hermione stayed behind to glance over the records James had brought with him. After putting the previous vaccination dates into the system, she pulled up the treatment plan that was standard for puppies and went over it with James.

"Please tell me you're getting him neutered."

James' eyes widened slightly as he reached behind him to rub the back of his neck. "This early?"

She gave a slight nod and wry smirk. "He only needs two more rounds of vaccines and we can schedule the last set at the same time as the surgery. He'll be sixteen weeks by then which is perfect." She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and shrugged. "Trust me, you'll want it done as soon as possible."

"Is that something you do?"

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from replying with her usual snark and cleared her throat instead. "Depends on the day, but I can make sure I get him scheduled when I'm the surgical tech."

James nodded and let out a small breath of relief. "That would make me feel better," he said. "Knowing he's in good hands."

Hermione smiled again and excused herself to the back so she could draw up the appropriate vaccines and see if there was anything else Doctor Scamander wanted to add. When they were ready, they went back into the room, pockets lined with all sorts of treats to keep Padfoot distracted, and gave them to Harry while they administered the vaccines. Once they were finished, Doctor Scamander shook James' hand before taking leave of the room. Hermione scheduled the next two appointments, having checked her own schedule, and then escorted James, Harry, and Padfoot back up to the front to check out.

"Can we go to the dog park now?" Harry asked as he came to stand beside her behind the desk.

She waved James off as his lips parted to call him back around. "Not yet, Harry. He's still got a couple months before he's ready," she answered.

"When we take him, will you come with us?"

"Harry-"

"Of course," she interrupted, ruffling his hair again. She paused for a second at the sound of Lavender clearing her throat from the other computer at the front desk, but refused to look at her coworker. Instead, she went over the price of the visit and the preventative care plan James signed up for one last time before proceeding to check him out.

"Thanks again, Hermione."

"Just doing my job," she said as she handed him a new folder with his receipt and updated vaccine records for Padfoot.

James nodded as he took it from her. "See you tomorrow," he said before seeking one of Harry's hand and turning to leave.

"Tomorrow," she repeated, smiling and waving at the both of them. When they were out of sight, she turned her attention slowly to Lavender only to find her leaning back in her chair with a wide grin on her face. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and muttered, "Shut up," as she retreated to the back.

* * *

Ever since he'd brought Padfoot home, Hermione was used to James knocking on her door with one question or another at random times of the day. She had already learned that he'd never had a dog growing up; his mother had been allergic and Harry's mother was simply more of a cat person. Hermione was always quick to assure James that she didn't mind. So long as Padfoot was healthy in the end, she was happy to help. It was why she had offered to have Padfoot stay the night at her house before the surgery when it came around so she could bring him to work with her and bring her home that night. It worked out even better that Harry was at his mother's for the following two weeks so it gave Padfoot a chance to heal without Harry riling him up.

What Hermione was _not_ used to was being woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone urgently banging their fist against her front door.

In a pair of sleep shorts and a baggy T-shirt that covered them anyway, she opened it to the sight of James in a pure panic. The moment he laid eyes on her, he began to spew what was wrong and between the panic of his voice and the fog of her tired mind, Hermione understood the words, "blood" and "everywhere." It kicked her into autopilot as she followed James across the hall and into his apartment.

Had she not been accustomed to seeing blood every day, the sight of it in James' living room would have been far more jarring than it was. Not that it wasn't unnerving. The worst part of it all was seeing Padfoot half standing, half sitting in the middle of the room. His face, surrounded by the cone, was aimed at the floor and he let out a constant stream of whines.

Hermione knelt behind him, but didn't try to touch. There was blood matted in his coat and when she peeked her head around his legs, she saw the source.

"I thought with Harry gone I could let him sleep out of the kennel. I figured it had been a few days since the surgery and I-" James paused his pacing to stare down at her. "I should have-"

"This is not your fault, James," she said, offering a sympathetic smile. "It looks like a scrotal hematoma. It happens sometimes. You can't watch him every minute of every day." She pushed herself to her feet and laid a hand on his forearm. "I promise you. Not your fault."

He nodded and straightened his stance. "What now?"

"We need to take him in. There's an emergency vet not far from here. Pick him up if you can and I'll meet you downstairs."

"You don't-"

"I don't mind," she assured him as she turned to head back to her apartment. There, she swapped her shorts for whatever bottoms were within reach and then raced back out to grab her purse and keys that were hanging by the door. She had been so fast she hadn't even grabbed her phone. She met James down in the parking lot who did a double take as she pressed the buttons on her key fab to unlock her car. "Do you think he'll let you hold him in the back seat?"

"The blood-"

Hermione rolled her eyes and opened the rear passenger door. "Sometimes the first patient of the day shits on my scrubs," she said, watching as he cocked a brow at her. "I know, great image, but my point is that I don't care. Just get in, will you?"

James cleared his throat and shook his head, but with Hermione's help, he slid into the back of her car with Padfoot draped carefully across his lap. Once she took her place behind the wheel, she pulled out of the parking lot and drove them the few miles down to the road to the nearest emergency vet. Parked again, she helped them out and then went ahead to open the door so they could walk in. As she explained to the tech what had happened, another tech came up from the back to take Padfoot to the back while the first tech led them to a patient room.

They took turns washing their hands and then settled into the two-seater bench placed inside the room. James alternated from leaning all the way back to holding his head in his hands. All the while, his left leg bounced with nervous energy. Hermione reached over and placed her hand on his knees. His face turned so he could look at her and she offered a small smile.

"Right now, they're taking a look at his incision. They're most likely going to give him another pain med and an antibiotic. Once they get a better visual, they'll come in and talk to you about what's next."

"What _is_ next?" he asked.

Hermione wet her lips, but hesitated to answer for a second.

"Hermione-" he stopped himself as he reached down to take her hand. "Whatever it is-"

"Another surgery," she said as light as possible. She squeezed his hand and sighed. "He'll need another surgery."

James' shook his head in disbelief, but before he was able to say anything or she was able to reassure him it wasn't as bad as it sounded, a technician came in to talk to James. Sure enough, surgery was their course of action and as they explained the process, James never let go of Hermione's hand.

* * *

They hadn't been at the emergency vet for more than a half hour before they were back in Hermione's car, headed home without Padfoot. They had made him comfortable and would be going back into surgery soon. He would then stay for at least twenty-four hours and then could go home. Sense there was nothing either one of them could do, James and Hermione left.

And despite all of James' effort to be stoic, Hermione stayed awake with him for the rest of the night. The first thing they did upon getting back was put on a pot of coffee. The second thing was clean up the blood from the apartment and her car. Afterwards, despite all the coffee they ended up falling asleep on the couch while waiting for a call about Padfoot. It was the harsh sound of his ringtone that had them jolting awake and prying themselves off of one another.

Once they knew Padfoot was in recovery and doing just fine, the pair had an awkward moment as they said farewell to each other for the night. Not awkward enough to lose any sleep over it seemed, because the moment her head hit the pillow, Hermione was out like a light. Nor was it awkward enough the next night when she offered to trade her morning shift with someone so she could be there with James to bring Padfoot home the following day.

And before she knew it, the awkward moment was forgotten in the two weeks that followed. She saw James a lot in the beginning, but as Padfoot's recovery became easier to deal with, he needed her less and less. In fact, it was the follow up appointment with Doctor Scamander that had her seeing James again. A full week after the last time she had seen him. Just like the last two visits there, James had Harry with him; something that brightened Hermione's day immensely. Although nothing could compare to the joy that took hold of James' face as Hermione came back into the room with a cone-free Padfoot.

"Stitches were removed and everything looks perfect," Hermione said, a grin on her face. "We still recommend easing him into rough housing and starting with walks instead of runs, but he is all set to go."

" _Now_ can we go to the dog park?" Harry asked, dropping to the floor to throw his arms around Padfoot's neck.

"Next weekend," James said, rushing on as Harry's lips parted to argue. " _You_ are going over to Ron's house to stay the night, remember?"

Harry let out an over exaggerated sigh and then looked up at Hermione with a rather large grin on his face. "Will you still go with us?" he asked, shoving his glasses back up his nose.

"I'm off Sunday if that works for you," she said, looking over at James.

"It works," he replied with a nod and a grin rivaling the size of Harry's. The pair stared at each other for a moment longer than usual before they both cleared their throats and tore their gazes away. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you before Sunday."

"I'm sure," she repeated, heading towards the monitor to settle his appointment. "No need to check out with Lavender. It was just a follow up so you don't owe anything."

"Sounds good, Harry, say-"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Harry was barreling into Hermione, nearly knocking the wind out of her. His arms wrapped around her tight and she returned his hug. "Thank you, Hermione. For helping save Pads."

"You're very welcome," she said as she ruffled his thick, unruly hair as he pulled away and took the leash up from the floor. "Have fun at your sleepover."

James gave another nod and followed after his son. Hermione stood in the doorway, fully aware that Lavender was smirking at her from the front desk as she watched James and Harry until they disappeared from sight.

* * *

The following Sunday, Hermione met James, Harry, and Padfoot in the hallway promptly at two in the afternoon. It turned out James had taken all of her suggestions to heart and loaded his car with snacks of both animal and human variety. That still didn't stop him from stopping at Starbucks at Hermione's request. Nor did it stop her from introducing James to the Pup-cup; something she wasn't sure James would order again after Harry decided to share it with Padfoot. Either way, after a half hour of watching Harry and Padfoot run around the park, he admitted it was a great idea regardless.

The two of them found a bench away from where the majority of the crowd was, but still afforded them a view of Harry and Padfoot no matter where they looked. They chatted about whatever came to mind; mostly their jobs and Harry. She enjoyed times like this where she was able to get to know him. There was no telling how long either of them would continue to live across the hall from one another, but even if one of them did move, she saw him being a part of her life for a good long while. At least she hoped so. It wasn't every day people came across someone they could talk endlessly with and never get bored. Even their lapses of silence were comfortable.

As it was, they didn't stay seated forever. When Harry made some friends with other kids, they took up playing fetch with whoever would return the ball. All in all, they spent a good few hours at the park. It was when both Harry and Padfoot began to drag from expending all their excess energy that James and Hermione knew it was time to go. After saying goodbye to the friends Harry had made, they got back in the car and headed home.

When they got back home, Hermione helped carry everything back up to James' apartment. It was as she was setting the bags on the counter that Harry seemed to get a second wind. As did Padfoot. James just sighed as Hermione chuckled under her breath. "At least they'll both sleep good tonight," she said in the hopes it helped.

James reached up to rub at his jaw and gave a nod. "At this rate they're just going to drop wherever they are and stay there until morning."

As Hermione laughed at that mental image, Harry appeared at her side and tugged at the hem of her shirt. "Can you stay for dinner?" he asked before whirling around to look at his dad. "Can she?"

James' lips parted as if to say something, but then shook his head, closed his mouth, and cocked a brow at Hermione. "If she doesn't already have plans."

Harry looked at her expectantly to which she smirked and ruffled his hair. "I did have a hot date with my microwave, but this sounds like more fun."

"Sweet!" Harry exclaimed as he took off to chase Padfoot again.

She watched him as they disappeared down the hall and when she looked back at James, he was looking away. He cleared his throat and his cheeks looked a touch rosy at having been caught staring at her. "If you don't want-"

"I do," he interrupted, clearing his throat again. "I was going to invite you anyways as a thank you."

Hermione bit back a smile as she toyed with the handle on the bag between her thumb and forefinger. "You've said thank you a million times already, James."

"And I'll probably say it a million times more."

Hermione sighed, but nodded at him. "Well I suppose if some of those apologies come with food, feel free to keep it up." They both laughed and she pushed her sleeves up as she stepped around the bar into the kitchen. "How can I help?"

* * *

Hermione was just as surprised as James that Harry made it through dinner. As it was, he started nodding off after sitting at the table. And as if they didn't already know he was tired, his lack of argument when James told him to get ready for bed would have been a good indication. While he went off to wash up and change into his pyjamas, Hermione began helping James clean up after dinner despite his protests, insisting that guests don't help. But after Harry came out to say goodnight and thank her for coming to the park with them, she continued to wash dishes.

She was just setting the last dish in the rack to dry when James came back into the kitchen. He came to stand next to her as she dried her hands on a dish towel. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I know," she replied, smiling up at him as she draped the towel over the pile of dishes. "Today was fun. Thanks for inviting me out. And for dinner."

"Anytime."

Still, she stayed put. They both did. It was as if the part of her brain that allowed her to move had short circuited. All she could do was stand still and stare up at him; which was exactly what he was doing too. But after a few moments of silence, she inhaled deeply and turned her gaze away. "I should-"

She stopped talking the moment she felt his hand settle over her forearm. In fact, her breath caught in her throat as he closed the distance between them and lowered his head so that when he spoke, his lips grazed the shell of her ear. "Dinner wasn't the only way I wanted to thank you," he whispered.

In lieu of coming up with a verbal response, Hermione turned her head to the side and slanted her lips over his. For just a moment, time stood still. Neither of them moved as they reveled in the way their lips felt pressed against one another. But when that moment passed, the heat that had been building between them since they met exploded. One second, they were innocently lip-locked before the sink and a second later, he was pushing her back against the counter while his tongue slipped into her mouth.

Her arms went up to wrap around his shoulders; one hand on the curve of his neck while the other dove into his hair. His hands fell to her waist and landed on bare skin as her shirt rose in her efforts to keep her lips firmly planted on his. His touch was warm, but it was the way his mouth moved hungrily against her own that drew the first moan past her lips. The sound seemed to spur him on as he pressed himself tighter against her, giving her an intimate feel of exactly what type of effect she had on him.

When the burn in her lungs became too great to bear, she lifted her head to draw a breath. The moment she did, James took the opportunity to lower his lips to her throat and shower her with an equal amount of tender kisses and playful nips. As his teeth grazed across the spot behind her jaw, just below her ears, her body bowed into his and she pressed her face against his shoulder to stifle the moan that left her lips. A moan that quickly turned into a yelp of surprise as he reached down to grab hold of her thighs and lift her. She locked her legs around his waist and clung to him as he pulled her away from the counter and carried her down the hall towards his bedroom.

It was after he toed the door closed as carefully as possible that he set her down. The moment her feet touched the floor, she reached for the hem of his shirt and tugged upwards until he lifted his arms and allowed her to pull it off of him. Hers was soon to follow and by the time they reached his bed, all of their clothes had been hastily strewn about the room.

Hermione was the first to lie on the bed and James was quick to climb over her. Their bodies molded perfectly together as he settled into the cradle of her thighs. She wound her arms around him again; her nails lightly raking up and down his back as his lips descended over hers. She could feel his cock, hard and heavy, nudging at her stomach. The thought of it buried deep inside of her had her shivering with anticipation and trembling with need. Impatient, she lowered one of her hands between them and wrapped it around his throbbing flesh. He hissed at the action and nipped hard at her bottom lip.

With a firm, insistent hand, after shifting her hips and opening herself up more, she guided his cock toward her entrance. As much as she wanted to experience the things he had done with his tongue in areas other than just her mouth, she wanted him inside of her even more. He hummed into her mouth as the tip of his cock brushed through her folds. She coated him in her own arousal and after a few passes, lined him up at her entrance. With just a simple tilt of her hips, he began to sheathe himself in her core. Taking over, James snapped his hips, filling her up completely.

Hermione's head flew back to grind against the pillows, breaking their kiss. James' lips found her neck again; his breath hot across her skin. He didn't hesitate to pull his hips back only to push forward again. He repeated the process, picking up depth and speed with each thrust. It wasn't long before they settled into a rhythm that worked best for both of them.

From the moment their lips had met in the kitchen, Hermione had been on the edge so it wasn't a shock when she tipped over the edge with a low, keening wail. She clung to him; her breasts flattened against her chest, nails digging into his shoulder blades. His hips stuttered as her inner walls clutched at him, signaling he wasn't going to last much longer. And when a second wave of release ripped through her, they both came in a series of hushed moans.

Even though James had softened and slipped out of her, he hadn't moved from the spot atop of her he had collapsed to. His head remained pillowed on her breasts, his body draped over hers. Absently, she stroked his hair as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the weight of him pressing her into the mattress.

"So…" she started, a smile on her lips. "Are you planning on thanking me like this more than once?"

He chuckled against her chest and pressed his lips against the underside of her breast. Before she knew it, he was rolling them so he was on his back with her leaning down over him. He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears; a smirk on his face. "I plan on thanking you at least two more times tonight alone." She hummed in response and sucked in a breath as he reached down to palm her rear, spreading her open so he could sink himself inside of her once more. "And as many times as you'll let me after that."

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't already, come on over and join my FB group: madrose_writing / Starting this Sunday (Oct 18th) I'm hosting a giveaway! And if you're interested, check out my Etsy shop: MadRoseCrafting for fandom related dream catchers


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